Martin Allen says being in the hat for the next round of the FA Cup is the most important thing after Barnet’s 0-0 draw with Chelmsford City ensured a replay on Tuesday.

The Bees and the Clarets will go head-to-head again on Tuesday evening at The Hive, with the draw for the first round proper taking place at St George’s Park on Monday evening.

Barnet were below-par at Melbourne Stadium this afternoon and were held to a goalless draw in the fourth qualifying round, despite an improved second-half performance.

Reflecting on the stalemate, Allen said: “With the FA Cup, the only important thing is to be in the draw for the next round, and we are in the draw for the next round – that is the bottom line.

“I don’t think we played that well in the first half. [With] the occasion and I think they just got a little bit the better of us in the first half. But then we settled down a bit and played much better in the second half, but in the FA Cup, the only important thing is to be in the draw for the next round.”

He added: “On Monday night we will all be sitting there looking at the draw and then come Tuesday night, everybody is now well aware of what they can do. They have got some good players, they are strong and Tuesday night is going to be another tough game and a difficult game to get through.”

With the draw for the first round – which sees League 1 and League 2 clubs enter the competition – being held on Monday evening, Barnet will be aware of exactly what is at stake when they face the Clarets 24 hours later, but Allen does not see it as an advantage.

He explained: “I see where you are coming from, but I do not think we will need any extra incentive. It has been a great week, with the win at Gateshead and the 3-0 game against Braintree.

“We have come away from home to what everybody perhaps was hoping was going to be a giant-killing. The team that is eight points clear at the top of the Conference to come to a club the division below, it was set up for it to be a giant-killing, but the resilience and courage of all our players to come here this afternoon and put in a good performance, to keep them out [was pleasing].

“We had quite a few chances there in the second half that never managed to go in and on Tuesday night we have really got to be at our best to go through,” Allen added.

Chelmsford goalkeeper Tony Thompson was named man-of-the-match after pulling off excellent saves from David Stephens and Mauro Vilhete, and Allen felt his side had been unfortunate not to make the breakthrough.

“He was outstanding,” admitted Allen. “We have hit the crossbar and had some good chances, but never managed to get that elusive goal that would have taken us through.

“But you have got to give credit to them. They were well organised, I thought, not easy to bring down and playing with a holding central midfield player in front of the back four, so it was not easy to go through the middle.

“We were unlucky a couple of times getting in behind, and set plays I thought we looked quite dangerous and never managed to nail one. But that is what it is like when you are top of the league, clubs are going to play like that.”

The draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup will take place at 7pm on Monday and is to be broadcast live on BBC Two.